Boxes
by going-rogue2374
Summary: The Squad is disbanding. Ms Marvel says goodbye. One-shot, rated T to be safe. Set in season 2 episode 1.


**A/N - Howdy kids, the rogue is back. I've been wanting to do something like this for ages so here it is :D hope ya'll likey, and in case anyone is wondering, the Geist fanfic is on hiatus while I improve the first chapter and work my way out of this writing-rut. Sorry to keep you waiting :P**

**Oh, and stuff in italics = sentences are thoughts, sing words are emphasided and the full paragraph was a flashback. Oh and sorry for my tense, I never was good with tense :)**

**Boxes**

Ms Marvel landed softly on Deck 18 and surveyed her surrounds. For the first time in eighteen months, everything was completely and utterly spotless. And silent. The usual elephantine tumult of six squaddies coming, going and turning the SHIELD helicarrier into a disaster area was replaced by the soft dull roar of the engines. She knew she should have been happy. After all, she'd been waiting for them to leave since the day they'd moved in. But now all she felt was a dull ache, like she was recovering from falling down a few flights of stairs. Iron Man's words still hammered into her like a battering ram.

_"With the Lethal Legion in prison and all immediate threats neutralised,we've decided to disband the squad and move out of the helicarrier. We'll be gone by the end of the week." _She still remembered the way his voice had cracked slightly and the way he had slouched away dejectedley while she stood there feeling like he'd punched her in the gut.

"They're really going." she realised now. "The super Hero Squad is over." To her horror a tiny lump of pain was rising in her throat. She pushed it back down. Ms Marvel getting upset over those infuriating squaddies? Impossible! Still, she couldn't let them leave without saying goodbye. No, that would just be rude. She pressed her thumb to the metal plate that unlocked the deck 18 door and strode purposefully into the helicarrier.

As she stepped inside, the cloud of sadness that had hung over her was replaced by a surge of annoyance. "Where the hell did all these boxes come from?" she snapped. The whole control room was filled with brown cardboard boxes. They were stacked against the walls and piled up all over the floor. Ms Marvel bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming. _I leave for one freaking hour and they turn the helicarrier into a freaking box factory! _

"They're from the delivery company." said Iron Man as he entered the room carrying another stack of boxes. "Well, couldn't you have told them we don't need this many?" Ms Marvel complained. "I did." replied Iron Man. "They wouldn't take no for an answer. I guess it's our reward for saving the universe." Ms Marvel sighed. She really didn't feel like arguing with Iron Man. This was, after all, the last time she would have to deal with his imcompetence. "I guess SHIELD could make a pretty good fort out of these."

"That's the spirit."

Ms Marvel had no idea how to reply to that. Part of her wanted to tell him that she would - well, not exactly _miss _him, but over the past eighteen months the Super Hero Squad had become a big, loud inconvenient part of her life and things wouldn't be the same without them constantly breaking her windows and eating all the food.

And now they were going.

"Who else is here?" she asked.

"Just Falcon. He's leaving in five." Ms Marvel nodded solemnly and looked away. "Carol?"

Ms Marvel felt a jolt in her stomach. He called her Carol. _He never calls me Carol! _"Yeah, Tony?" she said shakily.

"I just wanted to say thankyou. For letting us stay here and not shoving us out the airlock even when you really wanted to. I know we didn't act like it most of the time, but we really appreciate everything you've done for us."

She could feel her eyes stinging and Tony' s face was blurring and she was crying, seriously crying in front of Iron Man. "Don't go." she choked out. "I don't care if you wreck the helicarrier and give SHIELD a bad name. None of that matters, just don't go!"

And then Tony was cupping her face and turning it up to his his lips were getting closer and then they were on hers and hs arms were around her waist and her arms flew around his neck and it was so good but she was blushing and office relationships never work and it's against the code of conduct and how did he get his helmet off so fast and oh...ohh...

"OK I'm ready to - what the hell?"

Falcon always did have the best timing.

Ms Marvel shoved Tony away and glared at the moment-ruiner. "I was reventilating him." she snarled. "And if you deny it I will make it my mission in life to see you get sucked into the helicarrier's engines!"

Falcon held up both hands, expecting his former landlady to fly into one of her trademark rages. "It's cool. Your dirty little secret is safe with me. You know, I always had a feeling about you two." Ms Marvel bristled. Falcon winked at her. "Well, I guess I better get going. See ya 'round, Ms M." Carol saw the sadness in his eyes and her expression soften slightly. "Take care of yourself, Falcon." He waved sadly, called to Redwing and left with his bags and several of the boxes. Iron Man watched the doors slide shut behind his old team mate before turning back to Ms Marvel. "Look, I'm sorry I was so...forward just then. I just got...you know..."

"I know." she replied quietly. "Don't be sorry. I kind of enjoyed it. Kind of." Their eyes locked, blue on blue, and Ms Marvel wondered if she should kiss him. It wouldn't hurt, she thought. She'd probably never be in a sisuation like this with Tony Stark ever again. He cleared his throat, bringing her back down to earth. "I have to go, too. Falcon's waiting." Ms Marvel felt numb all over. Her voice saying, "See ya." sounded like it was coming from the end of a very long tunnel. His reply seemed to echo around the walls of her subconscious. And then he was gone.

Her cheek felt funny, and she realised with another jolt that he had kissed it. Suddenly her knees felt weak and she quickly sat down on one of the many boxes. She rested her chin on one fist a la The Thinker and stared out the massive semi-crcle window that dominated most of one wall. She watched his read and gold figure disappear, leaving behind twin trails of ice-blue flame. She stared out of the wondow long after he had disappeared from view. She half expected him to come back. But he didn't. Sighing, she finally rose from the box and pulled herself back into SHIELD director mode. Moping wasn't going to keep the helicarrier in order. She was a director and she had a company to direct.

And those squaddies had left her with a tonne of paperwork.


End file.
